Napoleon Bonaparte once remarked in the nineteenth century that China is a sleeping giant. Now, late in the twentieth century, that sleeping giant has awakened.

With its economic reform that led to its boom in the 1980s, the world has seen China’s transformation as a country to reckon with, with its military might and economic power. Its GDP growth has been off the charts—2000 percent from when it started; its workforce deployed in countries it has economic interests with; lent trillions of dollars to other countries; has a large middle class and developing cities rivaling those of first world countries.

Its military is enormous as well as its budget from the government, totaling to $177 billion annually. It has the biggest number of active military personnel in the whole world, over 2 million, and counting the reserved and paramilitary forces, it would reach over 4 million.

China has become undeniably a superpower in the Asian region and has been flexing its muscle. It has strong-armed and bullied other countries it has territorial disputes with—Japan, Vietnam, Philippines—by sending in military and para-military boats to protect their commercial fishing vessels.

Interestingly, it has claimed the entire of South China Sea, disregarding the Exclusive Economic Zone of its neighboring countries. For example, military installations have been built, as seen by US intelligence, with possibility of missile silos right in the backyard of the Philippines. China built man-made islands too in order extend its foot-hold in the region.

Control of this important trade passage that is the South China Sea has been established by China—with military presence that intimidate other countries.

With all of China’s military posturing, is it gearing up for World War III?

Well, it has a lot at stake—its economy, for example, is driven by trade. Also, it is allied with its perceived rivals, which goes all the way back to World War II. Nevertheless, if World War III does happen anytime soon, China is obviously more than ready.